A Rusty Lock
by Aiko Isari
Summary: When Team Rocket started their experimentation in the past, they forgot a fair few factors in the process. Time passed and young Scarlet escaped from the cage of Pallet Town and into the charcoal sky. A young journalist finally gets to hear that story, recorded by the girl herself. A Yellow Nuzlocke story. Heavily AU Warnings inside
1. Entry Zero

_Warning for science babies, human experimentation, animal experimentation (Pokemon), murder, poisoning, violence, hybrids, reality ensuing, speech disability, and death, use of the word sex in reference to Pokemon breeding._

* * *

 **Entry Zero**

 _(*Watch that some details were likely recorded by third parties or later interviews, or taken directly from old security footage. The validity of all knowledge is questionable, but that is a consequence of reality. It is your job to decide the story we are going to hear. -a note from Kalos Champion Diantha to Alexa of Lumiose.)_

The Viridian Gym Leader was a busy young man. At the age of fifteen, he had taken the Gym Leader test and drawn the unlucky Viridian slot. Of course, it was considered unlucky because of who had run it before him. The young man didn't give two hoots about that, and the rumors she caught in the streets of Pewter implied that he never had. What he did care about was any wasted time. He hated seeing a closed sign on his door, and the hologram having a fight wasn't the same as making his own blood pump in his veins. Perhaps it was the effect of his journey. It was a common ailment of most champions, especially former ones.

Still, Alexa had made this meeting work. She wasn't one of the top reporters of Kalos on her sister's badge after all. Not even _Malva_ had managed this scoop. If this went wrong, not only were all the records of the champion list gone, then so was her job as a reporter.

That didn't quite explain meeting in this tiny, battered Pallet Town house, but it was likely the only physical place to track the person of interest in case they decided to show. When she arrived there, the door was slightly ajar. It was a reclusive little place, surprisingly still standing after all this time, through the whirlwind of publicity and time itself. The windows were dull and the roof had a missing shingles. The door's lock had been battered and broken multiple times.

Alexa didn't leave her car immediately, noting her oddity of an automobile on a dirt road. Instead she sat inside the comforting air conditioning and watched the outdoors. Children ran by a short distance away, dancing in their games and waving sticks and rocks.. Some tails shifted as they ran, ears twitched, games of tag and fireballs and attacks as they played. They were fake battles, harm never truly meant of course, but in Kalos, this would have drawn stares.

In Pallet Town, home of the still reigning champion of Kanto and Johto, half-Pokemon, Birds as the media claimed them, ran free. There was not a single sign of a tracker chip, nor a hint of the scratches of barbed wire. These children had healthy skin, some darker than others. Those with fur glowed in the sun.

It was everything that young woman had supposedly fought for.

Alexa marveled at the carefree air of it all.

Her Holo Caster flickered on. The cameraman was running late. They weren't even sure if they needed one, as it wasn't likely they would get a glimpse of the Champion's Wraith while they were here. She had been gone within the year of her even getting the title from underneath her best friend's nose. The story behind that was nothing but tall tales, so it went. She turned off the voice message with a sigh.

She jumped at the sound of a loud tap on her car window. The black and golden luxury ball in her lap trembled with irritation and she closed har hand over it, pale fingers gripping it tight to calm down.

Emerald Oak, known as Green to the masses since his Gym Leader claim, looked at her with a relaxed sneer on his face. His freckled nose was twisted slightly, another habit formed by many celebrity trainers. Diantha and Cynthia were masters of the paparazzi. Many simply despised them. It did not take a genius to guess why Emerald was the latter.

She rolled down her window. "Good afternoon," she greeted. He raised an eyebrow.

"I've been waiting inside." His voice was dry, a little higher than the videos recorded. "Come on."

Alexa debated telling this teenager to step back into line and wait for the cameraman. Then she turned off her car. Her noivern, in its ball, was still shaking and growling low. She swiped her left thumb over the casing. As she rose to her full height, she saw Emerald Oak for how small he actually was. Puberty and fame had yet to make a giant out of this boy. That was probably a good thing.

She decided not to say so. "My name is Alexa," she greeted, using her less formal smile. "I'm the reporter. I'm really not sure where the cameraman is."

Emerald shrugged. "Probably assumed all the documents and the like were in Viridian City. Considering how much people vandalized this place in the past year, that's not a shocker." He closed his mouth for a moment, then shook his head. "Come on inside." Alexa locked her car and went after him. "I'll be telling you various details as we go," he added. "Most of what you're going to hear is on tape, so feel free to rewind or whatever." He stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans, sweat sticking to the orange hair at the back of his neck from the summer heat. Alexa nodded, tablet in hand. At the sight of it, Emerald chuckled. "I forget that Kalos is ahead of us on the technology front."

"Only because Kalos is not as Bird friendly as the the Tohjo continent." Alexa clicked her tongue in distaste, licking her stylus.

Emerald snorted. "Well, I suppose that does have something to do with it." He led her through rooms of dust to one with a broken window. Alexa examined it as she walked, scribbling notes of bare walls and scorch marks, of a low amount of wood and splintered tables. There was an old refrigerator, halfway stripped down for parts. Emerald ignored it marching straight to a bed which had seen better days. He dug underneath, pulling up tile until there were multiple shoe boxes and an old tape player. Alexa's eyes went wide with surprise.

"And here I thought those had all been to the recycling bin."

Emerald snorted. "There's a few left." His voice gave away exactly what he felt on that matter. "They're still needed to transfer audio recordings from the pre-commercialized Pokedex." He shook his head and sighed low. "Don't think Grandpa ever saw that coming."

"No one really could have, I'm afraid." Alexa kept her voice quiet, trying to rein in her interest. She had only heard rumors. She had only heard stories. Reality was so much more than the words of others. It was hard not to just ask, to sit there quietly and watch him set up a tape in the machine, barely even having to flick through them all. They were so clean, she noted. How many times did Emerald come here to listen to the sound of this person's voice?

"How would you like to be referred to in the piece?" she asked as the radio speakers started to hiss.

Emerald shrugged. "Birth name is best," he said. "Everyone knows it."

Alexa nodded.

"These first couple of tapes were recorded after she got a hold of the system," Emerald supplied. "It's different." That was all he said. Alexa tried to control her smile.

The tape spun and after a few moments of static, a voice filtered from the speaker. "If you are h-hearing this," it began, the speaker's words so vividly unsteady and slurring. "Then Emmy must respect you enough to use my sounds." There was a small pause, as if the person was listening. "Words, 'm sorry."

Alexa paused the playback. "Disability?"

Emerald scowled at her and Alexa took that as a 'yes'. "Don't play the sympathy card now," he sneered. "You're the one getting a money deal out of this."

Alexa didn't comment, merely continued the tale. It was all too often that people confused all reporters with gossip rags. It was easier not to be actively upset.

"I was born nearly fourteen years from mah-king this tape, on a Friday the thirteenth. I say that so you know… how quick-fast this was. How bad this was. I don't understand how these human words come into play, but all the files are hidden somewhere where these are stored. Everything I've ever heard about... about the mess, us, started before my mother was born though, so it might be better just to start and get there."

Her young voice was deep for a girl's, especially one of a fourteen year old. It was low and deep and full of air, somehow.

"About twenty-five years ago, Team Rocket took over Silph Company. They conquered it from the inside-out, like b-balloons grow bigger from the air. By the time anyone had noticed, the League was already being being poked of holes. No one noticed. No one cared."

The girl's slow voice sounded tired. "Not till they were well in it, not till the koffing groups got to be-be-he everywhere. Not before most people didn't know how to change the system. So, they got a hold of Pokemon, capturing, stealing, _using_. It was like a big pokemart. Then they went to change them."

Emerald paused the tape this time and left to the next dusty room. He returned with a set of files about as thick as the Unova League records, by Alexa's estimation. Then he started it up again, leaving Alexa to leaf through the files. She almost could tune out the words.

"At first, it was minor, from what Professor Oak said. Color changes, sharper claws, bigger teeth, that stuff.. Then it got real big. Stronger hides, less sanity, more=" A pause, and the girl's tongue clicked in likely exasperation "Makin' people listen, forcin' em to evolve. Anything and everything, even for the perverts of the world. It was a niche, but it made money, he said. It wasn't different from ancient days."

The speaker let out a sigh. "In the cartoons they play here at home, that Emmy would show me, there is always a hero who comes in around now, at the point where times are tough. With their legendary teams of Pokemon and their tough spirits, they stop the evil ones. And everyone's forgiven. The bad guys get arrested and everyone is happy again. There are no more bad things. The world is pretty and clean again and I have real ears."

That didn't happen. I wouldn't be here if it had. There was no magical hero to rise up in the darkness. Instead, the world rebelled, in its own, small ways. People's backs bent but their heads didn't bow. Instead, they lied, stole, cheated around the little Rockets who made their lives worse and some ended up dead when they ordinarily wouldn't have. I don't know much about that though. You'll have to ask someone else.

No one had factored in sex in the Pokemon experiments. People had forgotten the discoveries made with Pokemon eggs and breeding. That was a mistake. Yes, I called meself a mistake."

Alexa sat back a little, at the rawness of the teenager's voice. The current file slipped from her fingers.

"See," said the young woman, as if she were speaking directly to the reporter. "No one remembers Pokerus."

The tape ended, and Alexa reached to turn it over. Emmy waved a hand and simply pointed to a folder in one of the files. "She's got nothing on this, but the old Silph files have it on record."

Alexa hesitated. She thought she knew what this was. The feeling of the old paper made her almost queasy. She opened the folder and started to read.

* * *

Another autumn night passed overhead, but the two scientists didn't glance out the window even once. One man passed by a test tube, observing the shifting colors of the liquid inside. "The nutrient supply is getting low over here," he called.

Without missing a beat, the young intern went to join him from her desk, eyes stuck wide behind her round glasses. She smiled.

"Poor thing," she said with sympathy. "Those running tests must have worn you out, huh? I'll fix a new pod up for you." She scribbled on her notepad app with a musical laugh, humming along to the radio in the background.

"Salem, you shouldn't be so attached." The first scientist scratched on his tablet. "It's unbecoming of a scientist."

She tittered. "Don't be so old-fashioned. They're like our babies, aren't they?" She prodded near the Nidoran's face, which didn't open its eyes. "Pokemon will soon be helping us give birth to incredible humans. We may not even _need_ Pokemon as much anymore. After all, humans and Pokemon once sat at the same table!"

Her companion only scoffed and turned away. Such an idealist she was. She simpered at him, going to the computer and beginning to type. "Great Ball, form!" She whipped her hand in a flourish and with the press of the enter key, a ball dropped from a nearby tube.

"Melodramatic."

"I wanted to be an actress." She took the ball and began to drain the tank. "But family called and duty and honor come first. Heads up, about to open the pod."

"Roger." Never could be too careful, after all. They were wild ones after all. The small knife glinted in the dark.

The pod slid open with a hiss. The Nidoran slumped, trying to rise. Its weary eyes crinkled and it let out small whines as Salem approached with the open Pokeball. "There, there, little fella," she cooed. "The ball is gonna make you feel all better, kay?" She tossed it and prepared for the usual capture.

The Nidoran however, raised its claw and slashed the ball, cutting it in two. The male scientist moved towards the security system, but the Nidoran began to shriek. The wails awoke the Pokemon in their tubes and they began to struggle.

The dull red eyes lingered on both humans before lunging for Salem. The young woman rolled away, laughing at the attack. "How exciting," she squealed, pushing herself to her feet. "They're trying to rebel. Aggie, take notes!"

"As much as scientific curiosity is appreciated," August muttered as he slammed his fist on the security alert. "This is not the time!"

"There's always a time," Salem chirped, fascination running all over her face. "Look at you!" She moved closer to the Nidoran, which had managed to rise up, growling and gnashing its too large teeth. Her form lurched closer.

"Salem, get back so I can spray the neutralizer." August lifted a device like a fire extinguisher.

Salem shook her head no. "But she's just a little worried. It's okay, you know. I'm just gonna put you in a ball and all your little friends will go back to sle-" She let out a sudden scream as one of Nidoran's paws jabbed into her abdomen. Blood spurted, red mixing with purple. Salem fell backwards, face caught in a seizure of her howl. The Pokemon bolted, crashing into one of the pods. It cracked and she tackled another. Her horn cracked one.

By this point, the alarms had been blaring for almost five minutes. Two guards rushed in, guns raised. As the pods began to topple, August went to his fallen coworker. Her breathing was shallow, but her eyes were brighter than before, a bloody smile on her lips.

"Get the results," she breathed. "Get a sample! Hurry!"

August ignored her, focusing on staunching the wound with a heavy cloth.

The Nidoran shrieked again over the sound of breaking glass and lunged. Gunfire exploded and August shouted. "Idiots! Don't fire in an enclosed area!"

By that point, however, his words were wasted. More glass cracked, and though a couple bullets hit, the Nidoran and other Pokemon were too frenzied to care. The Nidoran leaped, her fangs sinking into a guard's arm. He shook it off and it hit the nearby wall. Before the guard could raise his gun again, the Nidoran fled with a squeak out the open door.

That was perhaps the cue for the other groggy monsters to go and they did, out the broken window or trampling their guards.

Saffron didn't panic properly for another hour. By that time, however, the howling had begun and so had the destruction.

* * *

Alexa almost put the folder down, only to see a sheet of looseleaf with faded, squiggled text. She squinted at the page, but Emerald tapped the recorder back on, and it started to play.

"Someone said to me that Pokemon and humans have had an unspoken truce since ancient times. The experiments broke that truce. Of course, both parts of the ecosystem were aware that it was not all of humanity. For Kanto and Johto, however, that truth was irrelevant. The results were clear.

Pokemon bred, the new traits becoming more and more possible. They breathed the Pokerus in, and humans grew weak. They fell like stalks of wheat, and the once semi-worn routes of journeys past grew unruly and awful. There was barely a road to the Victory Road anymore. In turn, the humans retaliated, deciding to take the Pokemon's traits as their own. The only way they knew how to create an overwhelming weapon was to be that weapon.

Salem Rune, the first victim of those events in Saffron, was the most outspoken advocate of this plan. She proclaimed it was the patriotic duty of Kanto and Johto adults to donate their babies, their youth, their embryos, to the experiments. To reclaim their homeland, they could do anything."

This was the history everyone knew. This was what led to the Ceremonial Lockdown those years ago. But to hear it was entirely different, even if it was just someone reciting off the facts left on the advertisements.

Many, many people did, almost all of Pallet Town, almost half of Saffron, many, many of Johto's cities, who were only safe from the blockade of Tohjo Falls.

Professor Oak and his family did not. Lavender, Azalea, Olivine, Cianwood, they didn't either.

Viridian wasn't given a choice.

But Salem Rune did choose, for a lot of people, and if she had not, perhaps I wouldn't have had to tear down those fences, the new Pokemon League regulations wouldn't be around. Perhaps I wouldn't be here, for she would have had no need of me, or of the others.

Or I would have grown up much worse.

There is so much to this story, and for me, it is important that you know as much of it as I do. Because there's a lot of lies and accidents that happen here, and there's a lot of pain too. I cause some. Emmy does too, and I'm not really heroic.

"For those of you who don't know, my name is Scarlet Rune. I am a Pokemon League Champion and I am also a murderer."

Emmy turned off the recording, and stared with no small amount of disdain at the computer, then at Alexa. "She would center it around that, of course. And everyone said I was the drama queen."

He let out a small sigh. "Come on. We don't have all day."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** So... I am slightly masochistic. But hey aren't all writers. So! This is my first attempt at a nuzlocke story, already played through the game. There are a few divergences here and there to account for the setting, and also because Pokemon Yellow is ridiculous in a lot of ways and I love it to pieces, but I still wanted to incorporate some Gen II and III mechanics, which admittedly altered the battles a tad at the end. So, I won't repeat the rules as most of us already know them (and they cause a little bit of story and game segregation)! And also note that I did not know some of them when I did my run (like the gift one!) so that might seem a little inconsistent. Sorry guys, the future stories will probably know the rules much better than I did at first. Anyway, let's get started. New warnings will apply to each new chapter, otherwise you are safe to assume that all previous warnings and tags could apply. This will be 72-75 chapters so get ready for the long haul.

All that in mind please review if you've gotten this far, it really helps me as a writer. I also currently am taking fanfic commissions (anything requested up front to be over 10k will be slightly slow to post due to my other projects and college life but please don't let that stop you!) Thank you guys so much and thank you for giving this a click, as always. It means a lot!

 **Challenges:** Anime/Manga Diversity Writing M2. alternate timeline (book 1 of said alternate timeline), Epic Masterclass Games List alternate timeline, Advent Calendar day 26. write an AU, and Song Time Challenge for Yoru by Vistlip.


	2. Entry One

_Warning for Pokemon eating, fantasy racism, implied attempted murder, speech disorder, aftereffects of human experimentation._

* * *

 **Entry One**

(" _All wild are altered. All tamed are volatile. Keep a knife handy." - Edict One of the Tohjo Trainer Handbook Seventh Edition, circa 2015)_

The way the world works has always been very simple to me. Motives are complicated, but actions are easy. Everyone acts. I can figure out why after they've failed to kill me.

If you're listening to this, you should be well aware of how many times people have tried to kill me before now. If not, well, there's probably a tally list left somewhere in my old bag. Or Emmy has it. I cannot predict the future.

I woke up under a fireproof blanket, skin bare, and stretched. As I did, small flames burst from my back. They faded to smoke as quickly as they arrived. The spring weather made it warm, but even in winter, I could almost always sleep in little or no clothes. The aftereffects of being a walking space heater, I suppose. No one came in to check in on me at night, not since the knife found a permanent resting place in my front door. I hope someone managed to pull it out and find it a better home.

I crossed the tiny house, pulling on underwear and a shirt so I could wave at next door. The neighbor smiled at me from her phone call and waved back. My ears twitched as my curiosity kicked in. I heard the tail end of a conversation, probably to distant cousins, warning them about the regulations if they decided to come here. Not that they could without a roll of red tape and two ballpoint pens.

Not while the Ceremonial Lockdown was in effect.

The government called it that. Or at least Agatha, the most superstitious of the Elite Four, seemed to every time the rulers of the League appeared on the news. I guess if you were a reason for a completely Rocket administered Kanto, you could get away with being superstitious. She certainly looked at most city maps like they had been covered in moss. We of Pallet have always called it "the fence". No one could get in, no one could go out. Kanto and Johto might as well have been at war, for all they interacted these days because of it.

I continued to dress, wisely stepping out of the view of the window. My lack of modesty aside, the wind was still chilly as Seafoam Islands. But it was sleep naked, or sleep in fear of burning your pajamas off.

Despite being a lab experiment and a ward of the state, Rocket was still too cheap to pay for extra clothes for a successful fire type. Bastards, Emmy would call them. I have the distinct feeling these days that he was using the word wrong.

I stretched and tore off the paper on my calendar before going to brush my hair. The morning ritual had to go on, otherwise I would lose something and find it on the other side of the room.

There was a gentle ringing from the nearby phone. I sighed and raised my voice, taking some advantage of voice automation. "Ansher..." My voice slurred, more animal whine than the word "answer" like it was supposed to be. I would be a bit better in a few hours, once I'd been awake and functioning and could think about my sentences.

I really hated talking. And yet here I am.

An old man appeared on the computer screen. His grey hair was frazzled from the early morning and the coffee mug shook in one hand. "Good morning Scarlet."

I flapped my hands a bit and raised a couple of fingers. "Ellos..."

The professor smiled, expression tired. "You look well." I raised one eyebrow and he amended. "All things considered, what with last night's storm."

"Mmph," I replied, keeping my voice non-committal. Storms were almost as bad as showers. It took me a minute to think of what to say. "Mm..." I took a deep breath, tried to slow down. "Emmy?"

"Emerald?" I nodded, loathing the actual name. Too long, wrong syllables. Emmy's father needed a smack to the head, naming their kid that. Might as well just call him "Green", there were so many less sounds. Oak let out a sigh. "Up with the sun. The patrol is headed here today."

"Daisies?" Oh yes, that felt better. It was closer.

"Her patrol, yes." He chuckled. "His brotherly instincts."

"Mm..." I thought this over. "No Spearow hunt."

"Not until tonight, no." His frown turned apologetic and I smiled. He understood. It was dangerous, and people could think I was up to something else.

"Birds will fly eventually." I had to hope anyway. We couldn't all be locked in the same cage forever. That would get us all killed.

"Quite." My comment made him laugh. Good. "They're looking for trainees. Rocket, I mean." His voice had gone sober. There was a low blow of anger

"Not normal, " I pointed out. "Won't bother." Even though much of the "trainer age generation" was like me, and less human than they ought to be, Rocket was still leery of letting us take their trainer's circuit challenge. Win the league and you automatically get a scholarship, or something. But we couldn't do that. What, were we biologically ticked to die?

Honestly, adults. It wasn't like we weren't aware of our status in the world on some level.

The professor shook his head. "The grapevine is hinting it might be different this year."

I ducked my head as I went to the tiny fridge. I didn't want him to see how much my heart sank. I already knew they wouldn't pick me, even if that was true. I couldn't pass. My speech was too awkward, among other things.

The sad thing about today's world was the desire to help the bad guys, if only so you could leave the metal fences behind for a while.

"Emmy?" I filled the nickname with a couple hundred questions, all of them anxious.

The professor shook his head. "You're going to have to talk to him about it." He yawned again. "Sorry, Scarlet, I need to go. I have my radio show in a couple of hours."

I waved my hand and he hung up the call. I went back to chopping berries, turning on the heat to start boiling water. I couldn't go hunting all day, and being partial to fresh meat made this annoying. Lucky for me, I had hunted well yesterday. I pulled the refrigerated meat out and set it aside.

Stew. Lots of food, something to take around.

I clicked my tongue, having recognized a scent from outside. "Emmy!"

"Door unlocked?' He called through my open window. I swiped my thumb over the nearby touchpad, and the door clicked open.

(At the time of the hearing of this recording, all of the visible technology has been raided from the house.)

"Mm!"

House integrated technology was a double-edged sword.

He opened the door, orange spikes the first thing visible to my eyes. The second was the kid in his arms. Their blond hair poked up in every direction as they wriggled. Emmy only held them more tightly to his chest, rolling his eyes. I hid a smile. You needed a firm hand with the little ones, or in this one's case, a firm two hands.

"Figured I ought to bring Chia here before the boots."

I nodded. Boots, birds, euphemisms, or was it symbols? The bigger the human words, the more twisted it got. "Soon?"

"Three hoursh," Chia said for him, rolling his eyes. Obviously unconcerned. He was too little for anything useful. Not to mention his distinct lack of limbs.

Emmy bopped their head in something like mischief. It would take more than a simple hair hit to do us any harm. "And it would take you three hours to get over here. You can't walk all that well yet." I waited for the expected motherly click of his tongue but he didn't, merely set Chia down on the a nearby cushion. "The Sun Stone is going to take a while to mine out, you heard gramps."

Chia pouted in all their seven-year-old power, but settled in their seat. Emmy sighed and turned to me. His face lit up in a grin. "Daisy."

"Sure?"

Emmy grinned and waved a paper in my face. I didn't try to read it, he was too excited for me to bother. "It's a recruit one so she needs to show off what she knows."

"Oak said," I informed him.

He drooped and rolled his eyes."Ruined the surprise." he said. Then he grinned. "They might pick me, you know! They need someone with biology know-how and experience." He puffed out his chest and turned up his nose. "No one here that's better than me."

I laughed a little, shaking my head. "I'll cheer for you." He did have a better chance. The only thing he needed was a Pokemon and the professor would hand him one no matter what world we lived in. Humans were not meant to live in cages."

I must have had a bad look on my face because he sobered. "They might want a bird," he said to me. "And you're the oldest left, Scar. They might."

I shook my head. "Record." I slid the cubes of stringy Pidgey into the pot, followed by the vegetables.

Emmy reached and patted around the red patch on my head. Even obscured by hair and the like, it was still hot to the touch. He didn't flinch. He never did. "They can't prove that." When i raised an eyebrow, he rolled his eyes. "They can't, Scar. We all know better. Besides, you're in the best shape of you guys."

"Cause of you."

"It's not a pissing contest." He sighed and let it drop. "Come on, let's berry harvest."

I nodded, not wanting to argue, and finished cooking.

Sometimes I thought that we would always have more faith in each other than ourselves.

But of course, times change.

* * *

"We're out of baskets," Emmy announced almost two hours later.

I put my last armful of berries into the wicker and nodded. "We have plenty."

"For those pigs?" Emmy rolled his eyes. "Yeah right."

I giggled. "Most of them are herbivores." I hesitated to say vegetarians because that implied a lifestyle choice. Also I wasn't sure that I _could_ say it.

Emmy snorted, but it was a feeble gesture of disagreement. Then he paused, letting me pass and put my basket on the truck bed. "Your therapy is working, huh?"

"Won't ever talk like you," I quipped. "But always working."

"True." He went to the truck and stared at its beaten paint job. "I hate driving. Trainers walk everywhere or fly, why drive?"

"Tanks?" I offered, looking out at the still healing plains of route one. "Suppliers? Police?"

"The police are crap and you know it." He yanked the door open and grabbed the keys. "Come on, before gramps gets back and finds the truck gone."

I hopped after him, resisting the urge to curl on the seat like the Pokemon I kind of was. My fingers fumbled with the seatbelt and without a word, he snatched it and did it for me, saving my fingers. Within minutes, we were off. I watched the berries, hoping we didn't lose any on the rough road. Emmy tapped his fingers on the wheel as he drove, his permit snug in a pant pocket.

When we passed the fence, one of the security guards waved at Emmy, shutting the gate behind us. I ignored them, continuing to watch the berries. They looked at me oddly, but it did no harm, not from inside the fence. People would notice if a Bird died, after all.

"He acts like he hasn't seen you before," Emmy muttered. I shook my head at him as he pulled the car to a stop. "Gramps back yet?"

I looked for the telltale scuff of shoes on dirt, for light in the furthest window, or for the smell of fresh stantler poop. "No."

'Thank Arceus." He went and unlocked the door, one basket under his arm.

By the time I had helped him put the last basket inside, Emmy was staring at the edge of Pallet. His green eyes were bright and I watched him. Why wasn't he going now? They wouldn't dare run a civilian over with a tank... I think. I hope. Perhaps it was surprise, or nervousness. Maybe he was scared. Daisy had been gone for a long time for humans, a Butterfree family tree had probably ascended and descended by now to rest its eggs all over Kanto. So many years, were humans able to pick up where they left off? An outcast Pokemon was an outcast, after all.

"I'm gonna do it." Emmy had crouched while I was lost in my thoughts. He grinned up at me. "Race ya?"

I rolled my eyes and smiled. "All right."

We took off, running to meet the crowd. There was no cheering, of course. It was barely a crowd. Rockets weren't welcome, not even family. Emmy vibrated beside me, forgetting that i had won in his fascination with the glimmering Rs on the jacket lapels and the clean, pressed clothes, while subtly trying to hide the patch on his shirt. He looked for his sister in the tiny group of black, eyes wide and hopeful all the way to the town square. I sniffed, but I hadn't smelled her in so long, the oily uniform smell hid her too well.

"Emmy!" One was running towards him, their own orange hair tucked under a cap. He turned and barely managed to grin before he was knocked over. One of the others tittered at this, while another rolled their eyes.

I smiled a little, and decided to leave. The Rockets were all in, so I could get away. An early start at hunting would do me some good. I did not wish to be stared at like an abnormally

But first, to check on the stew.

* * *

The edges of the route outside of Pallet Town were rife with wilted plants and grasses. Only the hardiest of Berry trees and plants could handle it there. One of the destructive effects of the Pokerus in Pokemon systems, and the fight against it, I supposed.

I adjusted my weight as I walked. The crunching of the dead grass against my bare feet was loud enough. Strapped to my arm was an elegant blade, a gift from my mother's family. The other was hung over my bed, a note to self. I didn't dare walk with it at my waist.

A rustle of fresh leaves made my pace slow and I stopped, slinking into the shadows of a tree. The rustling grew, shaking the underbrush. I was surprised it hadn't woken some napping caterpie.

There was a flash of black across my eyes, then a yellow a lighter shade than the wilted grass. Then out hopped a mouse. I sucked a breath in through my teeth. pikachu. Why was one all the way out here?

A more careful glance answered that question. Matted patches of fur, amber eyes, its tail was much too big. It was a baby, too recently evolved to know what it was doing. It was also too small.

Either it had wandered away, or was kicked out. It would be dead in three days.

I reached for my knife, hesitant. Should I put it out of its misery now? Their electric sacs were good backup generators, the meat was good for bait. It would have plenty of use dead.

Then again, it had made it this far from Viridian Forest, it may do better to keep it alive. And then what? Let it become prey for some Raticate with even stronger legs?

I put my knife away and slid into a crouch. It was a comical stance, but I wouldn't expect laughter. I moved forward as quietly as I could. Flames almost escaped me as the excitement built up in my stomach.

However, those long ears pricked up within seconds. I half-expected it to dart away. However, it looked around until it saw me rise. Its tiny eyes narrowed, and then it was nothing but a blur streaking towards me. I ducked and punched up, missing by a hair. It flipped to the ground and burst up at me, this time with electricity pulsing around its small frame.

I grinned and moved to the side. Wild basic pattern. Easy to interpret if you didn't get distracted. Its teeth then sank into my arm and I hissed, raising a fist. I threw myself to the ground, rolling and smacking it with me. It squeaked and fell away, but i chased it. It sparked and the shock struck me in the stomach. I fell back with a wheeze and it leaped for me. I raised my head and the fire rose from about my head and back. It squeaked in alarm and I smiled, headbutting it.

Fire was a bitch to play with, and I was small enough to be able to use it.

Beneath my feet, the wilted grass smoked and I sped forward, intending to chase it down. The pikachu hadn't gone far and was lunging for me in turn. I ran forward and slid as it leaped, reaching forward and grabbing it by the tail. It squeaked and shocked me.

Ow. I probably couldn't take another couple of those yet. My body could take some electrical attacks, but not much. I dug my heels in and reached for my dagger. It responded by leaping for my hand. I swung the other and sent it rolling.

It panted for air and I grimaced. It was a stubborn critter. I liked that.

That settled it. I was taking this critter home. But... i lacked a pokeball. I could drag it kicking and screaming, but then i would make people think there was a pandemic.

For the moment, knock it out.

I lunged as it got to its hind legs, tackling it off the ground and into the air. I couldn't risk throwing a knife. My luck, I would kill it. I moved to catch it, restrain it.

However, a Pokeball whizzed over my head and pulled the pikachu inside with a puff of air.

It dropped to the grass and I rushed for it. A familiar deer stepped in my way as I approached. Oak climbed down from its back. His eyes were stern.

"Scarlet..." he said, voice slow. "What are you doing so far from Pallet?"

"Hunting?" I said innocently.

* * *

"A Hunt would have more well-prepared for! You lack armor and supplies and your traps aren't much more than sticks! What were you thinking? Bad enough you go pidgey hunting with no back up, but a pikachu in this area! I expected better!"

I forgot that when we got the professor wound up enough, he would never stop. Not that I knew he didn't have a good reason, but still. I hunted all the time.

"You're lucky he didn't fry your nerves to pieces-"

"Can I keep him?" I interrupted. It wasn't like I could go anywhere, so it wouldn't be likely that the baby would get stronger. The medicine would heal it, I could nourish it. It would be easier to hunt with him, there would be so much to do. I paused, still walking but mentally a few steps back.

Why was I so attached? So soon? We both felt the beat of Mew in our blood, perhaps? There was always a claim from some conspiracy theorist that anyone with Pokemon blood did such a thing. The little guy was also cute. And cute meant young, which meant I could calm it down a lot easier than I could a tougher Pokemon. Cute Pokemon could be encouraged to become stronger, to listen. Older Pokemon were more stubborn, too gritty. It was a lot more difficult to deal with, especially without a trainer's kit.

This stunt had proven I would probably never get one, either.

Oak regarded me. "It would get cabin fever in our space. We don't have the purification supplies to cure the Pokerus either. We barely have the supplies to keep you children well."

"Viridian does. I can pay it off." What am I doing? Backpedal, idiot. Shouldn't be so attached. Adults are prone to refusing when they see how much you desire it.

Oak sighed at me, as if hearing my thoughts. "Why do you want this Pokemon so badly?" _You are one and so is everyone else. What more do you need?_

I stared at him, befuddled. Now that someone had asked, it was a little obvious. "It'd be nice to have a friend I could talk to."

"Emmy isn't enough." He said it like a statement and that made the words feel less horrible.

"He tries too hard to like me. He wants to leave. I don't want to be that person." The clingy best friend who wants nothing to change. I couldn't do that. It wasn't Emmy's fault after all.

The professor's face softened and I wasn't sure what that meant. "I see..."

"Sorry.. "

He didn't reply and we walked back to the fence. I ignored the looks again. I wanted to hold my dagger again. It needed sharpening after all of that.

Oak ushered me in first, and as the fence locked behind us, the sun's heat began to fade from my back. I relaxed a little. Just in time, I guessed. He walked with me to his lab. The soldiers stiffened at the sight of us, more him than me for once I think. He ignored them, pushing his door open. I slipped past their guns and followed.

"Welcome back, Gram- ? Scarlet?" Emmy looked up from his desk. "What are you doing here?"

"Keeping an eye on the Pokemon she caught," Oak replied in a distant voice. I couldn't tell if he was still disappointed or not. "Daisy, do you have any Pokerus antidotes handy?"

Daisy blinked in surprise, and only without her Rocket beret on did I not recognize her. I was with her. I had thought he wouldn't remember that. Guess you couldn't underestimate a champion. She rummaged through her knapsack and offered her grandfather a small, black case. He mussed her hair briefly, causing her to flush. Hair petting caused this in creatures. I wish I understood why it felt so nice.

Oak beckoned to me as he placed the Pokeball on the healing machine. Then he opened the case, pulling out the memory chip and pushing it into the system. The machine whirred.

" _You_ caught a Pokemon?" Emmy looked at me and laughed. "Why am I not surprised?"

"You look a mess," Daisy mused, removing her beret and moving over to me. I shuffled away, then winced at the flash of hurt on her face.

I tried to smile and scooted back to her. "Sorry, jus..."

"Been a while." Her whole face relaxed and she took the rest of her kit, dabbing at my burns. Electricity could never really burn me, but it still hurt. "Trust me, I never realized how homesick I was until about a week ago. I thought Emmy would be hitting the ceiling by now."

I snorted and Emmy rolled his eyes. "It hasn't been that long."

"I left when she was still sneezing and burning things and your hair was patchy from rattata fleas." She winked. "I think I was also shorter. And cleaner."

 _Not a killer._

I wish humans went along and spoke unspoken words. There were too many of them to keep track of. And sometimes their bodies were cleaner than their words.

I still smiled and let her pretend I had missed it. No one had though.

Emmy peered over his grandfather's shoulder at the screen. "What'd you fight, a raticate?"

I rolled my eyes. "No, but you're close."

"A pikachu runt," the professor replied.

Emmy squawked in alarm. He turned to me, eyes ablaze. "How? You didn't kill it? It looks like it fried your hair!"

I snorted. "It certainly tried. I'm fine, thanks." I paused to crack my arms with a stretch. "Howsit, Professor?"

"Good condition. You didn't do much damage." There was a small scolding note in his voice, like he expected me to up and stab the critter like I did the spearow. I rolled my eyes at the thought. "He should be up and moving by tomorrow. The question now is what to do it."

"I could take it in," Daisy volunteered. She brushed the brim of her beret with her thumb. "I may be able to raise it into a helper Pokemon."

"He's a runt, a small child would kill it," Gary objected. "Let Scar keep it, gramps. She's the one who wrestled with it." At the look on the professor's face, he quickly amended, "Which she shouldn't have done, nope, not at all."

I smiled before I could stop myself and Daisy managed a small giggle. I had already told him that I wanted it. Daisy was probably only presenting another possibility for the sake of argument. Then she reached into her pocket. "Actually… regarding that…" She looked at me, which made my hackles rise. That expression was not gentle Daisy. "She's been invited to the circuit."

Silence. Even the dead could hear a pin drop.

Then I started giggling, and I just couldn't stop.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** _ Hello and welcome to another installment of Rusty.

Okay so fair warning, because I'm too busy to update multiple fics of 4k+ chapters at the same time without seriously massive backlog, this will be alternating with _Enduring_ as I work to complete both.

Now that that's out of the way, well hello everyone! What did you guys think? Wait, wait! Leave a review and tell me all about it! Good, bad, anything's fine. I'm not even going to say 'except for flames' because that stops no one. So please, don't hesitate! It really helps me out!

Thanks so much for reading, favoriting, and following, guys! I'm off!


	3. Entry Two

_Warning for talking pokemon, fantastic racism, violence, cursing._

* * *

Entry Two

" _The Hunt takes no prisoners. Only flesh and bones and blood. Take all from your hunt, even the soul. A comrade is born from the Hunt."_ -First call of the Rune, formerly known as the Nox

I woke up the next morning. My head was throbbing, my eyes squint in the light. On the other side of my head, the battered Pokeball glowed in the sun.

Despite myself, I smiled.

I was going to have my own Pokemon, and all I had to do was do a quick errand for the professor.

I got dressed, went through my daily routine, and set water to boil. Then, I picked up the Pokeball. Dread washed over my skin. I had beaten this Pokemon, but I hadn't caught it. Would this runt still listen to me, still be willing to work with me? Despite my paranoia, I wanted to hope so. So, heart pounding, I expanded the ball, and threw.

There was a singular flash of light, and then, the mouse was staring at her, big eyes closed in a yawn. It froze and I winced.

"Los," I greeted, still a little sleepy and unwilling to force it. "Bet'r?"

The Pikachu straightened to look up at me. Its -his- ears twitched. I coughed.

 _"I'm better,"_ he squeaked after a moment. _"Now that_ someone _ain't throwing me around."_

I stared. I understood that. _I understood that._ My brain ground to an abrupt halt at that moment. It wasn't my first time around Pokemon, obviously. I've been killing them since i could use a knife. But I've never heard their noises as words. At most, it has always been, and I thought always would be. But clearly this wasn't true.

 _"What?"_ it squeaked. _"I didn't only get hunted by a changeling but a broken one?"_

"Changeling?"

 _"This human settlement is full of them, stuck in between us and whatever mutated into you."_ He, for he had to be a he because of his tail, scratched one ear. _"Mew, I don't think my head's ever been this clear… what'd that old man do to me?"_

"Anti-Pokerus thing." I could never say the actual word for the life of me. I felt the tension ease from my shoulders as the mouse nodded. "You're young and a wild, so you have a lot, but if we work together, I can buy more and halt the spread of the infection."

"So if I win battles with you, you'll keep my head clear like this and I won't go hungry?" His little, fuzzy head tilted to the side. "My mischief has been running low. Jade Wood, sorry, _Viridian Forest_ , has gotten rough even for my species these days."

I turned this over. No wonder he was this close to Pallet. After all, most Pokemon that couldn't beg or scrounge avoided settlements. He had taken a risk and managed to get all the way through Viridian in his state down to an easier field. Not bad.

"Yes," I finally said, because how could I refuse such a tough guy? "Of course. You and any other Pokemon I bring along." _That lives…_

Thankfully, I don't have to say that out loud. "Okay, I'm in. Anything to be able to think."

I stared, then nodded. "We have a delivery to make." I go to chew my slightly cold food, still speaking slowly. "So I can leave this place for more than a day. Do you have a name?"

The Pikachu has started nibbling on berries, and has to swallow before he can answer. "There's a word for that? We use sounds and markings. Name sounds easier to remember. Then again," he shrugged. "I wasn't in conversations much. So no, I guess."

Pokemon and their subcultures. If only I was smarter, I could recognize the importance of what I was hearing. All I cared about was that my -my new Pokemon- was talking to me and i could understand it. I mean, wasn't that great? But, he wanted a name, needed one. I needed to give him one that was easy to say, so anything smart was out. I thought and thought for a few minutes.

Ken? No, that was human. I made a crooning squeak in my throat, trying to think. Pikachu jumped.

"The name of Mew was that?"

"Me. Jus' a thing, don't worry." I chewed on my lip and spoke slowly under my breath, mouthing names to myself. Every Electric was named after a storm or something flashy and bright. I needed something like that. "Sasha."

"Okay." The little Pokemon shrugged. "Sounds nice."

I smiled and scratched Sasha behind his ears. "We should eat, get going."

Sasha nodded absently, reaching for the berries I rolled in his direction. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

I have hunted all over Route One. I knows its nooks, its broken spaces, where the best places for Pokemon to nest, what brought Sandshrew to come here and create burrows during winters, what soothed the Mankey from what tree.

Taking the main road? Not something I was comfortable with. It was just so open. So many idiots dumb enough to live on the routes, or abandoned Rockets workers could ambush, and my only safety was my lack of humanity and the Ceremonial Lockdown. The poachers here would have to do a lot of work to get close to here… and Viridian was a complete death trap, no question about it. The Professor's Stantler still hadn't healed from the Ariados nets.

Sasha held none of these concerns and kept walking ahead of me, ears straight up and tail almost a flag. Then again, he had lived here. I just visited.

There was a rustle of bushes and a Pidgey burst out, Caterpie limp in its beak. Sasha's cheeks sparked and then the bird dropped to the ground, twitching and leaving its meal oozing blood into the soil. I knelt and snapped the pigeon's neck, picking it up and putting it into my bag. Good. Dried bird.

Sasha whistle-squeaked. "Efficient."

"I eat fish and rodents too."

He scowled at me. I grinned. We kept walking. There were never many trainers on route one. There were usually berry harvesters and the mailman, who i ended up running into en route. It gave me plenty of prey the further I went. The mailman's ponyta let out a whine and nickered until I stroked his nose. His owner grinned nervously, eyes on my ears and the color of my hair. I ignored him, offering the creature an oran berry. It let out another happy noise, not even noticing Sasha climbing up his back.

"Close to Viridian?" I asked.

The man nodded quickly. He really wanted to get away from me. No surprise. "Just got an hour's more of a walk."

I smiled. "Thank." I moved ahead, leaving Sasha to climb to my back. At my shoulder, he made an amused squeak.

"that human is a bit of a Duskull jumper, ain' he?

I raised an eyebrow at the slang. "Most humans don't like me. It's why Pallet's so empty."

"Smells like 'Birds," Sasha said and I blinked.

"Pokemon use that?" Sasha's nod of reply made me frown in thought. Huh, who would have known?

A sound caught my ears and I looked behind me. Nothing, not even a stray Nidoran. Then I shook my head and moved on. I hoped one of the kids hadn't snuck out of the town. I would have a hell of a time finding them. I sighed and kept walking on. Theoretically, I could jump Route One at night, but no one would open the fence for me. So that wasn't happening I guessed.

Sasha went back to my head. "So, what are you anyway?"

I snorted before i could stop the sound. "Rude."

"You know what I mean, Bird."

"I have a name." He scoffed and my pointed ear twitched. "Quilava, though. I evolved from a Cyndaquil. Hurt a lot."

"Evolution hurts." Sasha sounded sympathetic somehow. "It's sometimes slow or quick or obnoxious because it may not happen all at once. Stones are the worst. Whether you're ready or not, if you are near one for too long or have one in you, it's all over. You can't even say no."

"Can't say no as a Bird either." I pause and pick up a stray, half-used Potion. "It just happens. Sometimes you're warned, sometimes not. And the creation for some means they have to grow arms or legs. Anything at all."

Sasha wrinkled his nose and nuzzled into my hair. "You're burning up."

I blinked and wiped my brow. "Oh, thanks." I stopped and set him down. Then I inhaled and exhaled, breathing slowly. Flames burst from my back and the top of my head. I opened my mouth to swallow air, then exhaled a burst of flame from my mouth. My body rebelled for a couple of seconds then relaxed to it. I released more Embers, peppering the grass and startling a Sandshrew from its hole. After a few more practices of this, the flames faded away and I sighed in relief. I had forgotten to do that before we had left. I could have had heat stroke if I had waited much longer.

It would slip your mind when you suddenly heard a Pokemon speak.

"that was weird." Sasha took a few minutes to stare. Then he chased to climb me once more. "Fire Pokemon do that?"

"Some?" Those with a fire organ, those with flame receivers. "Pikachu do it?"

Sasha scoffed. "If they're dumb enough to go near human metal vibrating things, sure."

I laughed and we kept walking. This, this felt nice. No wonder Emmy wanted to go so badly.

A chill went down my spine again.

* * *

Viridian was a neutral zone for Birds like me. This was the center of Rocket training after all. The school was here. Most of the Pokemon who started off with grunts came from this area, if they weren't caught themselves.

Unlike Pallet, where Birds were almost the entire child population, Viridian was not _friendly_ to Birds. They just weren't killing them in the street. Supposedly, that happened in places like Vermillion or Celadon. To a Bird with sense, Pallet was the best place to be one. I'd once heard of cities that _worshipped_ our kind, like my mother once did. God knew what that did to the psyche.

Due to this, I could almost understand why they didn't like letting us out and about. At least killing a Bird here meant a problem on the mainland.

Yet, here I was, leaving anyway.

Sasha squeaked annoyance on my head. "Could they stop staring? You aren't setting them on fire, what do they have to worry about?"

I shrugged and focused on my destination. Blue roof, products in the windows. Blue roof, products in the windows.. I just had to remember those little details, and try to speak slowly. If I did that, I would be in the clear. Sasha let out a scoff. It must have been more important to him than it was to me. I decided not to think about it. It was just something that got boring after a while.

I found the building after almost fifteen minutes of searching. I had almost gone to ask a police officer. But there it was, really obvious once you looked and saw the roof. I entered, wincing at the jangling of the bell next to one of my ears. It twitched at the sound. I appreciated the mart worker for not making a comment and just smiling instead. At least I knew there would not be death on sight. It probably helped that Sasha was sitting there. Birds and Pokemon together like a trainer… that was an idea for the record books so long as Rocket is around.

"How can I help you?" The shopkeeper's greeting was a little too loud, but that could just be the bell ringing in my ears. It wasn't like there were many people in here at this time of day.

I braced myself for speech and exhaled. "Pr'fessor Oak has a package… he said…"

The man relaxed at the words, or maybe at the harmless sound of my voice. "Oh, of course! Sorry, it's been a right mess out here lately." He knelt behind the counter. Despite the loosening of his shoulders, I could still feel the cameras all trained on my back, the ears atop my head. They should have been more concerned I would shoot flames out of my mouth. "There was a bad shooting up at the gym this morning. They want the leader to come out and show them how tough he really is, you know?"

"Ouch." All you could really say in response to someone's stupidity.

The clerk nodded, warming to the discussion as he hunted around. He went to the back. "Couple of the kids are a bloody mess. Might even be dead in the case of one of them. The city council isn't taking it well." He paused and his shuffling steps grew slow. "Did you know that they have Birds in the gym?"

The question was meant to surprise me. Even I could tell that by the awkward silence that stayed in the air. "No," I replied.

"They shredded one of the poor things. You saw everyone's stares." He came out with a padded box. "That's why. They think you're out for revenge. No personal offense."

"None given." His eyebrows raised a fraction and I shrugged. I didn't remember the phrase. "Birds are separate. Already know."

It just wasn't separate but equal. All the more reason to consider traveling at night. Then again, few gyms were open in the evenings. without badges, it was tough to get a job. They proved you could trust Pokemon with your life. This was a world of integration. And the badges would prove more with me. Either I was a cheat, or I was good.

I shook it from my mind, taking the box. "Thanks."

"Sure." As I turned, they spoke up. "Are you, I mean-" As I looked back, he quailed in his stance. "Are you going to challenge the gyms?"

I paused. I had no idea. I shrugged and left the building.

When I exited the building, someone was standing there. No, not someone. Emmy.

Emmy had a Pokeball in one hand and a badge on his chest. The beanie hat he had admired so much from his sister was now ruining his messy orange hair even more. I stared at him.

"You're in," I said. It was all I could say. We all had known, of course. Team Rocket was the only way he could legally become a trainer. The other way only led to sadness. Everyone knew that. And he wouldn't put his grandpa through that. Still. No matter how accepted Rocket seemed, he knew what they were. We all knew.

My mouth filled with bile.

Emmy noticed, he must have, but he kept his stoic face. "I'm gonna leave Gramps' shadow," he said. "and sis' too. I'll be able to make life better for everyone in Pallet, even you. As a champion and a scientist." His lips cracked into a smile. "Think of the influence."

I nodded glumly. He was right. If anyone could do well by Birds, it was the grandson of the rebel and creator of the Pokedex. Still. "Do I go home?"

"That's what I'm here to ask you." He looked at me so calmly, so much like there was a window in our way and i couldn't bite him through it. Why would i want to? "Do you want to keep going? You're a Bird, you're more likely to be killed than i am."

"By a human."

He scowled at me. I stared back. "you should go back."

"No." The word slipped out, half a growl and half a word. It was almost too garbled to understand. But Emmy did. He always did.

"you need to go back. You won't make it." His voice was calm. Emmy was telling his own truth, and probably the truth too. I was a Bird. I could barely talk, I needed to expel fire. I needed to fight. I was a murderer.

There were plenty of reasons to attack me and have no one bat an eye. But Pokemon could do that too.

"I wanna go," I said, making myself lock eyes with him. "You c'n always run off and do what you wanna. This an oppor-" I paused, mouthed the word before i said it all the way. "Opportunity for me. You have so much more. You have no right t' say I can't."

Emmy bristled, a way that I thought only Birds could do. "I'm uour friend; I'm just worrying about you, what's wrong with that?"

"nuthing wrong," I said, keeping my voice quiet. Byrds can't raise their voices much, I remember now. "dunno if it means you're right."

This is such a weird thing. It felt like we were fighting. But there was no blood, or violence. Yet… it felt like we would. Sasha jumped from my shoulder, a comfy weight I hadn't even noticed, and stood in front of me before I could even say a thing. Seeing him standing there, crouched to strike, cause me to take pause. This was how a Pokemon battle srarted, a real one. Not with the toys, not with me and my knife even. This was what kicked off the old journeys, two rivals taking it to the dirt with their starters. Even my parents, unusual as they were, had taken part.

I looked up at Emmy, and I saw him finger a Pokeball. I saw the same surprise in his bright green eyes. Then he tossed it, and it opened up. Out came a fuzzy, brown creature, a mixture of a feline and a canine. It mewed a greeting at me. I smiled at it.

'Emmy is angry at you,' it said and I could hear it, I could understand it. It scared me. I would have known sooner, i realized, if I hadn't killed the food so quickly. But that was fine, that was good. I didn't need this gift. I had never heard the pidgey scream with the mail or the rattata complain of wires in their nest. I had never needed to. Now I might.

"i guess we're doing this." Emmy's face was set again, frown thick as permanent marker lines, as the tattoo on the back of my neck. "If you lose, go back. If I lose, I'll take the stuff back for you."

"Done," I said, because there was no backing out now.

The Pokemon stared each other down, even as we backed away from each other. A mainly physical attacker versus a speed special attacker. This wouldn't go well, but for who, I wasn't sure. Emmy was the one trained by Professor Oak in battling. I was trained for survival. Rival battles and League Authorized Battles were the only ones where the strike-to-kill unspoken rule was expressly forbidden. Of course, a death could still happen, but they had to be avoided. Pokerus was deadly to humans as it was. Didn't need to kill each other. I had no idea what to do.

I let out a startled growling sound and Emmy took that as his cue. "Eevee, Tackle!"

The Pokemon leaped. I dodged sideways without thinking and Sasha leaped to mimic me. I flushed. I was too used to being attacked. I stopped myself and clicked my tongue. "Thundershock," I said, remembering those sparks.

His cheeks sparked and he lunged for Eevee. The Pokemon ducked and rolled but the electricity burst out in a spray of light. Eevee yelped and jumped, thumping around and rolling. She hopped up and tackled Sasha over.

Emmy made a face. "Vera, mo-"

Too late. Sasha exploded with electricity. The eevee wailed in pain. Pikachu darted away. He looked at us, grinning balefully.

Ah, that's right. Eevee were uncommon in the wild, at least in Kanto. Sasha was only a recent catch. For a battle of this simplicity, he didn't need me. He nodded at me, and I bit my lip. No need to hate on myself.

"Tail Whip!"

Sasha wagged his tail and the rising Eevee paused, entranced. Then he got smacked. Hard.

Emmy watched me. He was waoting for me to smile, I guess. I didn't. This wasn't fun. I had always wanted to participate in a Pokemon battle but this wasn't what I wanted, not at all.

Sasha yelped at a bite to his ear, then shocked the young eevee with finality, stalking back to me with head and tail held high. Vera didn't move. Her eyes were comically closed. Her breathing moved her entire body, proof my Sasha hadn't stopped her heart.

At this stage, it would have been easy. And they knew. It was society and common sense that saved Vera's life. It wouldn't happen again.

Emmy reached into his bag and threw a parcel at me. I took it, throwing him the professor's parcel with my free arm. We looked at each other and I watched him put everything away.

"You can register at the center, he told me, still watching me. It was wary, because he knew me. I saw an advantage, I saw defeat and weakness and fear, and I pounced, as his grandfather, as my mother had told me. But he was Emmy. I wouldn't pounce.. would I?

I didn't get my answer, as he turned and walked away from Sasha and me. I watched him go until he was in the trees, and only noticed the wetness on my cheeks when it steamed off of me.

Scowling to myself, I spat a fireball.


End file.
